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closeanti-Dsg 3 vs.pathogenic PV IgG
Posted by fzgrando on 14 Feb 2013 at 06:05 GMT
This is a long-time awaited article that partially clarifies the confusion that total IgG serum fraction from pemphigus vulgaris (PV) patients contains autoantibodies only to desmoglein (Dsg) 3, which, therefore, represent a singe disease-causing factor. By now, it has been well-documented that in addition to Dsg 3, PV patients develop an array of antibodies to other keratinocyte proteins as well as non-organ specific antigens. These, taken together with a predisposing genetic background and environmental factors (UV, drugs, etc.) lead to the disease. One of the aspects of significance of this paper is an indication that previous results obtained with monoclonal anti-Dsg 3 antibodies and with mice producing anti-Dsg 3 IgG should be interpreted with caution, because they no longer can be extrapolated directly to the mechanism of human disease. Anti-Dsg 3 antibody is indeed pathogenic, but not as a single cause of PV as it has been held for decades. Anti-Dsg 3 antibody, monoclonal or polyclonal, is pathogenic in a sense that it is an indispensable element within the multifactorial pathophysiological mechanism of PV, which is yet to be understood.